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Archaeologists have found what they
believe to be the world’s oldest intact shipwreck at the bottom of the Black
Sea where it appears to have lain undisturbed for more than 2,400 years.
The 23-metre (75ft) vessel, thought
to be ancient Greek, was discovered with its mast, rudders and rowing benches
all present and correct just over a mile below the surface. A lack of oxygen at
that depth preserved it, the researchers said.
“A ship surviving intact from the
classical world, lying in over 2km of water, is something I would never have
believed possible,” said Professor Jon Adams, the principal investigator with
the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (MAP), the team that made the
find. “This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and seafaring in the
ancient world.”
The ship is believed to have been a
trading vessel of a type that researchers say has only previously been seen “on
the side of ancient Greek pottery such as the ‘Siren Vase’ in the British
Museum”.
That work, which dates from about
the same period, depicts a similar vessel bearing Odysseus past the sirens,
with the Homeric hero lashed to the mast to resist their songs.
The team reportedly said they
intended to leave the vessel where it was found, but added that a small piece
had been carbon dated by the University of Southampton and claimed the results
“confirmed [it] as the oldest intact shipwreck known to mankind”. [bold type ours:ed] The team said
the data would be published at the Black Sea MAP conference at the Wellcome
Collection in London later this week.
It was among more than 60 shipwrecks
found by the international team of maritime archaeologists, scientists and
marine surveyors, which has been on a three-year mission to explore the depths
of the Black Sea to gain a greater understanding of the impact of prehistoric
sea-level changes.
They said the finds varied in age
from a “17th-century Cossack raiding fleet, through Roman trading vessels,
complete with amphorae, to a complete ship from the classical period”.
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Imagine, 2,400 years at the bottom of the sea and undisturbed! What a remarkable find. Probably a good thing they are not trying to raise it as it would be beyond challenging from that depth, and the conservation effort needed to preserve it would be hugely expensive. But there it lies and pictures to prove it!
Until next time (and no wrecks!),
Fair winds,
Old Salt
